Jasper's eyes continued to glow as he held the Queen in place. But the longer he held her, the greater the effects the spell had on his body.  The Queen knew this. If she could just hold out, she might be ok. Much to Jasper's surprise however, Ayla did not take action for the Queen's attempt on her son's life. "You're weak, boy!" The Queen taunted. "You don't even have the strength to look your mother in the eye? I can't believe I raised such a weakling!" Jasper turned and faced his mother, looking her in the eye one final time. "I'm sorry mother... I love you." With that, he extended his hand, and the dagger she had thrown turned, and flew straight into the Queen's heart. causing her to cough up blood, before collapsing to the ground. Jasper turned around once more, saddened eyes glancing over everyone in the room. In the end, it seemed there was only one winner. The King offered a weak smile, before his eyes went grey, and he too, fell to the ground.

Elisabeth's behavior was disgraceful! Jasper could only watch her in disgust as he thought of all the times she had instructed Essie to behave as a Queen should. The hypocrisy was insulting! Jasper wanted to correct her, but the revelation she brought forward left him awestruck! Ayla was Essie's older sister! That meant, she was the King's true heir. It very well could have been her that Jasper had been betrothed to! but she was to live the life of an outcast, instead of the Princess she was, because she was the result of one of the King's affairs...

Jasper was beginning to understand now, the depth of her disdain for Essie. But she had to understand, Essie had no control over any of this. She probably had no knowledge of it either... Elisabeth had kept all of it a secret. Another thing to add to the list of reasons she deserved her fate. And yet, he couldn't look on when the sword fell to the back of her neck. He looked away, not because of the fond memories he had of her, but because with her life, the last chance of his freedom from her curse may have just faded away... "Well, that's one less piece of garbage for me to handle." the Queen said. She looked to Ayla, as if expecting her to carry out her duty, but Jasper instead met eyes with the guard who held the boy behind her. He discreetly nodded to the guard, who nodded back in response. "NOW!" He yelled, as the guard jumped out of the Queen's reach. The Queen moved quickly, in attempts to throw a dagger at the boy's throat, but not quickly enough to preempt the words coming from Jasper's lips."motus claudicatis!" The Dagger stopped mid flight, as the Queen's arm froze in place. Jasper's eyes shone a brilliant white coloras he used the Divine Tongue spell for the second time in his life. He then turned his back to his mother, closed his eyes and balled his fists... He knew what was coming next...

Jasper saw Ayla coming before Harry. She had clearly been in quite a bit of confrontation, judging from all the blood, and more importantly, Essie wasn't with her.  When she explained the situation, Jasper remained silent for a moment, thinking of a plan. "Got it." He said. "Stay here and wait Five minutes, then go back to the Throne room." He tapped his throat and then pushed Elisabeth forward, toward the Room where his mother was.

When he walked in, He spoke up immediately, his voice altered by a simple spell. "Your majesty I found this wo-"  Elisabeth Shrieked and struggled, attempting to get to her daughter. With a huff, he walked her over to Essie, looking down on her. His heart sank as he saw the woman in that way, but there was nothing he could do but to trust Ayla's words. He released Elisabeth and she fell to her knees, sobbing over her only daughter.

Jasper turned to the Queen and removed his helmet. Causing the remaining Guards to immediately raise their weapons. of the ten, only 4 were Jasper's agents. One of the four was holding onto a small child. He must have been the one... Under no circumstances would the Queen willingly return that boy to Ayla. Even if she got what she wanted, she wouldn't give up the ability to wave him in front of her face if she needed something else from her. This was going to be delicate.

"You've forfeit everything you've worked for, mother." He said, his voice now back to normal. "In the interests of gaining control of Mybville, you killed my father, and attempted to kill me, and now, in the death of Essie, you've gained nothing! You've lost your chance at gaining Mybville, and the Kingdom you once ruled is rightfully mine! You've failed." Some of the guards wavered as they considered his words. He was right after all... The Kingdom -was- rightfully his...

"Foolish boy! You know nothing of running a Kingdom. Neither did that brat of a girl! Mybville is now without a ruler. If I can't take it by lineage, I'll take it by force!Kill him! the three available Agents among the guards were easily able to take out three of the attacking guards, taking them by surprise. The Queen looked on in surprise and rage as she discovered her own forces had been infiltrated! Of the three guards left, only one had the gall to attack the rightful king, and Jasper quickly disposed of him. "It's time to end this mother. Step down."

The Queen looked back at the boy with a grin. "submit or I'll kill the boy!" The child's eyes widened in fear, but Jasper's expression did not waver. Solid black eyes looked on at the woman. "Why should I care if you kill some kid? Do you know how many people have died already?" He couldn't let her know that he knew who the child was. He couldn't give her any leverage. It was now or never...

Harry's explanation put a lot of things in perspective. Ayla had a son; A son she had put in the care of the Palace, and thus, under the rule of the Queen. This was bad... This was REALLY bad... It was at that moment that Jasper realized the danger he had put Essie in. It wasn't above the Queen to use the boy as a hostage, a bargaining chip... even a weapon! And if put in a position where she had to choose between Essie and her own son, Ayla was sure to choose her own flesh and blood...

Rage filled Jasper's eyes, the cooridors of the caverns filling with a blazing red light. She said she would tell him anything that was important! If she hadn't held back that information, he could have accounted for it in his plan! He needed to hurry. He needed to ensure Essie's safety.  "Up ahead there should be some guard uniforms lined along the wall." He now spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. It was all business from this point. They were getting close and there was no more time for personal matters. Once everyone was properly dressed, it was time to infiltrate. The troops scattered, but Jasper took hold of Elisabeth, forced her arms behind her back, and escorted her down the hall as a Guard who had captured a trespasser would. She would be his passage all the way to the Queen...

The trip through the castle had proven to be as dangerous as they had thought it might be. During one fight scene, Ayla and Essie had barely escaped with their lives, while the other two men with then had suffered fatal blows. She could barely think straight as the adrenaline coursed through her veins. They were so close to the throne room which was where they had gotten one guard to tell them the queen was. Ayla seemed more and more in a hurry, it worried Essie.

"Do you want to devise a plan before we just barge in?" asked Essie, monitoring Ayla's reaction.

But the smirk she wore only deepened as she shook her head. The woman really rubbed her nerves raw. She couldn't place why she did not like her. It was only clear that she just did not.

Before Essie could stop her, Ayla stormed into the thrown room with silver glinting as she maneuvered her blade into various body parts of the guards surrounding them. Essie held her own as she pushed forward, but it was barely enough. In a few minutes, Ayla had killed ten guards and Essie had finished off a measly three. She looked up and saw about fifty feet ahead of them, was the queen sitting on the throne with another ten guards around her. One guard, held a child with a blade pressed against his throat.

Ayla, for the first time since they had net, did not wear a smirk or keep her cool. She appeared as a wild dog backed into a corner. The queen's lips gave a subtle 'pop' as she smiled and they approached her.

"Ayla," she said. "I see you disobeyed my orders. For that you shall pay."

In spite of her smile, the woman seemed on edge and angry. Essie hoped that they might use her we motions against her.

"Please," Ayla begged. Essie frowned and looked at her wondering where the old Ayla who did not beg anyone for anything was. "I brought you Essie. Jasper is close, I will bring him to you as well. I knew you would be more pleased if they perished in your presence and I feared you would not keep your word if I didn't bring them here."

Essie glared at Ayla and her knuckles whitened as they clenched onto the blade in her hand.

The queen considered her words, but still unconvinced, she raised her hand and the guard lowered the blade from the boy's throat.

"Very well," she said. "If this is true, finish the job."

All eyes turned to Ayla and Essie. Essie knew even if she fought, she wouldn't win. Still, she held her blade steadily. Ayla turned her back on the queen and faced Essie. The oddest thing yet was the change in her expression as she looked back at Essie with a cocky smirk planted on her mouth.

It was clear that Harry had a jaded view of Royals. Jasper couldn't blame him. His parents rule had been hard on the citizens. So had his Grandparents. He and Essie always said that they would be the ones to change things. He hoped they would be able to do it...

His eyes fell to the ground as he thought about what Harry said about Ayla, Orange glowing orbs changing to a deep blue. Was it possible that she was just lying about what she wanted from him? If so she was very convincing. Jasper didn't want to hurt anyone... Well, he had kind of wanted to hurt Essie, but now he wasn't even sure about that!

He walked in silence for quite some time, before placing his hand on Harry's shoulder. Once he had discretely gotten the man's attention, he gestured toward the cavern wall, slowly inching away from the rest of the group so he could speak to him without the listening ears of the others. "You mentioned "him" before." he said in a low voice, practically whispering. "Who is he, and what does he have to do with me?" He suspected that the man in discussion was Ayla's fiancee. That he wasn't really dead. If that was true, then what else could Ayla have lied to him about?

Jasper chuckled when Harry suggested that he was the one who needed to be careful. He had built this underground path! He knew it inside and out! Nonetheless, he said nothing; only continued walking. It was clear that Harry shared the same distaste for Jasper that Ayla carried for Essie. It took everything in Jasper not to break into a fit of laugher when Harry fell over. If they hadn't been walking to war, he surely would have. But he kept a straight face, and even stopped to ensure Harry got up uninjured.

It wasn't much further though, before Harry said what was really on his mind. Jasper didn't take kindly to being referred to as "boy," but he listened regardless. He didn't speak a word until Harry had gotten everything out of his system, and when he spoke, his voice was calm, and non-defensive.

"Ayla has made her intentions perfectly clear, and in the long run, I'm not a part of them." He was going to leave it at that, but then he realized he hadn't addressed everything. "To be honest, I'd love nothing more than to rule this Kingdom with Essie by my side as my wife. But as time goes on, I wonder more and more if that's possible. It seems likely that she'll go on to rule mybville on her own, and if that's the case, and Ayla wants to play a game or two, I'm fine with playing along. Until she's had her fill, that is. I haven't promised her anything. And I wouldn't make her a promise I didn't intend to keep." He had gone on longer than he intended to, but considering the long walk they had ahead, it was better than silence, he supposed.

The trip had not been long, but Harry was sweaty and tired. It did not help that he was worrying about Ayla either. Once they had arrived at the mountain, he took notice of how worn out Jasper was.  He seemed to catch his breath quickly however, easing Harry's mind a tad. If they hoped to have any chance of succeeding, they needed Jasper to be at his best.

The two agents there showed them the way to the caverns. Jasper's glowing eyes freaked him out considerably, but at least they could see.

"Be careful? Ha!" Harry muttered in response. "I think you need to watch your step more than us, my castle king."

After years if living in the wilderness, Harry was pretty certain that he could make it fine through a cave. Then, a huge rock, at least five inches in circumference, jumped out in front of his path and tripped him. He righted himself before his face could collide with the hard surface below. His large stomach jiggled as he jumped back and scowled at Jasper, as if the glow had not been sufficient to reveal the 'large', evil rock.

"Ya know, boy," he said, regaining his place by his side. "I don't appreciate you playing with things that aren't yours."

The cryptic message was followed by a glare.

"What are you going to do after ya regain the castle? Become a king if course and where does Ayla fit in that?" he asked.

Elisabeth, having been quiet until then, perked her head up and looked to Jasper. Clearly the question had been on more than one person's mind.

"I mean, ya already are promised to Essie," Harry grumbled, minding the uneven floor as he walked. "Why do ya royals always have to want everything that aren't yours? Ayla has had enough if that in the past. She deserves better than some palace brat promising her the world and then end up get heart broke. What's gonna' happen when she loses him and then you in one day? "

His long speech ended with wide eyes as he realized how much he had just revealed on accident.

Essie, caught off guard by the kiss, let out a small noise of surprise mixed with relief. His words were a lie, or at held the possibility of turning out to be one, but they were still comforting. She gave him a fraction of a smile as her hand reached out and brushed his cheek gently.

"Yes, it will be," she assured.

Then, she stole one last glance, knowing it could be the last time they saw the other alive, and climbed into the carriage. Everything was set in place, but she still felt uneasy about who was driving. The compartment they had built was small, so small, that she had to lay completely flat otherwise, she wouldn't fit.

At the moment that they took off, she regretted one thing: not thinking to put a cushion at the head of the compartment to soften the rough ride.

Jasper had had enough games. It was time to get down to business. It seemed Ayla was in agreement. "Then let's get to work. He carried two of the three corpses to the carriage using a wagon, then cast A simple spell over the two of them. It was much easier to alter non-living things, because they weren't growing, and changing naturally. Once the crosses were erected, he strung up each of the bodies, and nailed them in place, sighing to himself as he did so. He still hated himself for the things he had done in the past days, even if it had been out of necessity.

He chose two particularly skilled men to join Ayla and Essie, then turned to Harry and Elisabeth. "Both of you are with me." He said. His team consisted of 23, including Elisabeth, who was truly only along so that Jasper could keep an eye on her. They would be much harder to get in place, especially without horses. In order for them to be in the right place at the right time, Jasper was going to have to use a pretty hefty transportation spell. He had never used it for more than a few people at once, and never as far as he planned to go. But he was confident he could pull it off.

He turned to Ayla, and nodded his head. "Take the most scenic route you cn think of to the Palace. Make sure the bodies are seen by as many people as possible." He then turned, and gave Essie a kiss on the forehead. "Everything's going to be alright." He said. Of course, there was no way either of them could know that for sure. But they were the words they both needed to hear. Jasper then began his Ritual, and in moments, he had transported his team to the exit point of his secret catacombs. It was on the mountain, north of the Palace. It would still take them as long, by foot, to arrive as it would take Ayla and Essie to arrive by carriage. Two of Jasper's agents were in place when they arrived. The operation begins... NOW